What's Left
by RonaldWeasleyTheHero
Summary: She hadn't seen him for so long, and all she could do is see what was left of him.


**I wrote another! I wanna thank you to everyone who reviewed my other one shot, it means alot =). This is for Aruani week day 2 Prompt Bruises.**

* * *

_**What's Left**_

How many years had it been since she had last seen him?

How many years had it been since he had last seen her?

What did his blue eyes see when he stared at her now? did he still see the rude, crass girl that had little to no friends, or did he see the monster hidden deep inside her, the one that smiled and laughed at him for all the wrong reasons. Or maybe he had told the truth that day when he had told her he saw her as a genuinely kind person, one that tried so hard to be good in her own twisted way.

She wanted to be good, especially to him, for reasons that she still couldn't comprehend. Even to this day the boy, no, man in front of her held a special place in her heart that she still couldn't understand.

Ever since he had so boldly uttered those words she had found herself trying desperately to be good in his eyes.

And it had cost her everything.

In the end she was left with nothing except for the bitter memories of her father and his final words to her.

Yet even as she knew her final moments were approaching she still tried as best as she could to communicate with him the things in her heart that she never managed to say out loud. She had laughed and smiled, hoping that he saw something more within her. She had whispered his name wishing that he heard what was behind it, Armin would know, he of all people had always been able to see through her facade.

But all she saw was fear, and she found herself not caring anymore.

It was whirlwind of pain and hurt after that, the suicidal idiot had come after her with the rage of a burning inferno, almost literally. She had escaped all the hurt and pain with a final act. The nearly impenetrable walls that she had created around her heart had taken form in the material world, shielding her from anymore of it's cruelty.

But like in the past he had always found the cracks, and this time it was no different.

She had heard her name, whispered by his voice.

And once again her walls had crumbled.

The first thing that she felt was a pair of strong arms wrap around her small form. She heard her name again, spoken so softly and sweetly, she never knew it could be spoken like that. Annie found herself bathing in the warmth of the contact, lifting her arms to return the hug as best as she could.

Then her survival instincts had kicked in and with a swift blow that had stunned the figure she had made her escape.

Somehow she had managed to find the entrance to wherever she was being kept, she noticed a stray soldier and in no time at all she had incapacitated the unlucky fool and stolen his 3D gear.

She had now realized that the only fool here was her.

She found herself surrounded and her gaze locked on the creature before her.

Armin Arlert.

He was flanked by dozens of men of the Survey Corps, each of them with fierce determined eyes, It was when she saw the long green cloak that billowed in the wind, and the medals on his uniforms that she realized What he was, What he had become.

Commander...

Each word that he spoke, his men listened without question.

Each movement he made was swift and light, there was nothing unnecessary about the man in front of her.

He was taller, his face had lost his boyish roundness, and been replaced with sharp angles and narrow piercing eyes, long flowing blonde hair fell to his shoulders and his posture screamed how confident he was, It screamed of a lifetime of proving himself, and succeeding.

There was almost nothing left of the boy she had known, the boy that held the innocence that she was so fond of, that looked at her with affection and admiration for what she could do.

The was nothing left of what he once was...well almost everything.

She still could see it.

The pain, the bruises that she imprinted on his heart. And on some level she wished that he could see the bruises that he had inflicted on her's.

Betrayal.

Lies.

Kindness.

Mercy.

With a single hand gesture he had stopped all his men from attacking before smiling at her, for a brief instance she could still see the one she left behind deep inside of him, buried under age, pressure, responsibilities, necessity, life.

She had sprung into action, attacking him with fierce strikes that she had practiced so many times.

But they were to no avail, each blow was dodged, each attempt at grappling him was avoided. The roles that they had so many years ago during their spars had been reversed in a spectacular fashion.

She could release the monster inside of her, but as she looked at his eyes, she knew that he had evolved far beyond that. Her instincts both her human one and her titan one told her that she was already beaten, outmatched.

She felt so inconsequential, like a pest to him.

It took no time at all for her to be dismantled, he struck with deadly precision that she never thought he would be capable of in a million years.

Now she had bruises of her own, but somehow the ones deep inside still managed to hurt more.

He had finally stopped her with a kick that had made her fall on her head. A move she realized she had inflicted on many of the cadets back in their academy days, him included.

Now here they were, her behind a cell deep underground, stripped of her freedom. her hands bound together, unable to even transform.

She looked into his eyes, his blue eyes that changed so much since she had last seen him, but she also knew that he was still able to read her like he had always been able to, now the only question remained is how far could he go, how much could he see?

Words spilled from her mouth, anticipating, expecting him to know what they mean "You know, I never got to talk to you as much as I would have liked in the Academy."

_I cared about you._

"You never talked much to anyone...Annie" his voice, so deep, so different. It sent a chill down her spine.

_It was your fault._

Why did they hurt each other so much?

"Why don't you kill me and be done with it?"

_You care about me._

"Because you are an asset that can be used at a later time...if you're willing to cooperate."

_I do._

"Whose to say I wont just turn around and back-stab you all over again..."

_I need you to trust me._

"I am more than capable of handling myself."

_I trust you with my life._

There was a moment of silence between them, both of them acknowledging the fact that they could say so much to each other with so little words.

She looked down her hair shadowing her face, She didn't want to him to see her tears.

"I'm glad I got to see the sun today."

_You took that away from me._

"I wish you could see the sun everyday...Annie."

_You gave me no choice._

"Isn't your interrogation done, why are you still here?" The tears were blurring her vision, the stone floor of her cell becoming a hazy image.

_Why do you still care?_

"I wanted to talk to you, just to see if you're willing to cooperate with me and I can convince my superiors to let me use you for the benefit of Humanity..."

_I'll let you stay by my side, I will protect you._

She would have openly cried if she had the energy. And she decided that there would be no double meanings in her next words.

She looked up finally letting him see her tears, finally letting him see her vulnerability, a tiny piece of the heart he had been dissecting for so long.

"Thank you..."

His eyes softened for a brief, barely noticeable moment. "You're welcome..."

He turned and walked out, not giving her a second glance.

The hurt that was so prevalent in both their hearts would never heal, the bruises would always be there hidden from the world, but visible to both of them. This was the best they could hope for.

This was all they could hope for.

* * *

**Aaaandddd Im sad now...Shot but not exactly sweet T.T**


End file.
